


The High King and the Battle Magician

by OurLadyOnTheOtherSide



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: BattleKing, F/F, Fluff, High King Margo, I will go down with this ship name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 22:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15204614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OurLadyOnTheOtherSide/pseuds/OurLadyOnTheOtherSide
Summary: Kady looks at Margo in a new light, contemplates that maybe she was right about who Margo was but she never got a chance to see who Margo had become until these last few days. She thinks about the possibility of getting to know the other woman now, and what their relationship would even look like.





	The High King and the Battle Magician

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me while I stumble through figuring out how to write these two.

“You can stay as long as you need to.”

Those kind words, the friendly gesture, is what started it all. Margo had just been crowned High King of Fillory, she was feeling good, feeling kind, her faith in humanity restored for the time being. Kady… well Kady was definitely better than she had been in the past, but not so great in the moment. The others were figuring out the next move now that they had all the keys and while Margo had duties to tend to in Fillory everyone else was working hard. All except Kady, who really did want to help, but was also feeling too burnt out to do anything.

She had come to Fillory because she didn’t want to be around the _other_ Penny and because she could stand Eliot and Margo’s bullshit a lot easier than anyone else’s. And Margo had smiled at her, offered her a place to stay, and gave her one of the many rooms in Whitespire. It was, admittedly, a good place to go to get away.

Julia checked up on her once, as best friends often do, but Kady had assured her she was fine, she just needed some time and space. Julia had nodded, said she’d come if Kady needed anything, and then she was off again to help save all of magic.

Whitespire wasn’t so bad. Fillory wasn’t so bad.

Margo was doing a damn fine job of running an entire kingdom and while Kady had no idea what was happening a majority of the time she did like to sneak into cabinet meetings just to watch Margo discuss things. It had been a while since Kady had even been around the other girl, most of what she knew of Margo was that she was snobby and selfish and really only cared about her hair and Eliot, but seeing her on a throne directing things, trying to fix problems, Kady saw a whole new side of her.

Eventually Kady starts learning how to swordfight.

Margo had noticed her around the castle, of course, she had been the one to offer her a place to stay in the first place. But she didn’t think she’d notice her the way she did. Margo was aware that she spied on the council meetings, that she wandered around the halls like some widower ghost in a gothic novel, and while that’s all well and good Margo doesn’t think it’s all that healthy. So she does the only thing she can think and she approaches Kady with the offer of teaching her to fight. Kady jumps at the chance to learn to wield a sword.

Truth be told Margo likes watching Kady train.

Just as Kady watches Margo’s meetings Margo takes to watching Kady train, though she’s more stealthy. Until one day, after Bingle leaves at the end of one of their sessions and Kady is left silently practicing a bit more, she spots Margo in her not-so-hidden hiding place.

“Are you spying on me?” Kady asks.

“Of course not.” Margo says, “I’m just… admiring the view.”

Kady rolls her eyes. She was wearing a black tank top and a pair of sweats, her hair up in a pony tail, and Margo thinks it’s her favorite look on Kady. It hadn’t been very long but she was already starting to get more tone to her muscles and Margo didn’t know if she’d be able to handle being in the same castle as Kady if she started getting more muscular.

“Well? Do you like what you see?” Kady asks, putting her sword back on the rack and crossing her arms.

Margo has to force herself to stop just staring, “I can admire a great beauty.”

Kady laughs, walks forward until they’re only a foot or so apart, “You could have just said yes, Margo.”

Margo licks her lips, smiles, “You’re probably right.”

“I think you’ve been in Fillory too long.” Kady says.

“I have a kingdom to run. It’s not like I can just leave whenever I want.” Margo says.

“Do you miss it, Earth?” Kady asks.

“You know, I thought I would, and I did in the beginning but now? Now I care too much to even want to leave.” Margo explains.

“I think I like it better here.” Kady admits.

“Oh really?” Margo raises an eyebrow.

“I mean, the lack of technology is unfortunate and it’s like being stuck in the middle ages but-“ She shrugs- “It’s peaceful here. There’s a lack of chaos and distraction.”

“Oh honey, I promise you that we’ve got plenty of chaos here.” Margo jokes, smiling.

“Still, thank you for letting me stay.” Kady says.

“You’re always welcome here.” Margo says.

Margo catches her eye and they look at each other, a quiet moment of understanding and perhaps curiosity between them. Kady wonders how she never noticed just how beautiful and strong Margo is, she berates herself for passing judgment on her quickly, only thinking her to be your standard mean rich girl. Kady looks at Margo in a new light, contemplates that maybe she was right about who Margo _was_ but she never got a chance to see who Margo had become until these last few days. She thinks about the possibility of getting to know the other woman now, and what their relationship would even look like.

Margo looks over Kady, wonders how she got to have this quiet maturity that she does. When they’d first met Margo disregarded her as just another rebel without a cause, a misfit who found herself at Brakebills. Margo thought her brash and not someone she would want to hang around too much, but now? Now she sees the strength, sees the wear of life in Kady’s eyes and a part of her wants to reach out and hold her, to tell her that she knows what it’s like to have so much be put on you and get no thanks and that she can relax now, that in the quiet moments like this- together- they can just be themselves.

“I got you something.” Kady says, breaking the silence suddenly as she remembers that she had gotten Margo a gift as a thank you.

“Really? You didn’t have to.” Margo says, following Kady as she leads her to her room.

Kady doesn’t have much in her room, but that doesn’t stop it from feeling warm and exactly like it belongs to Kady. While Margo looks around the room, at the dark walls and the bed that’s more pillow and blanket than mattress, Kady retrieves her gift from out of a drawer. Margo isn’t sure what she should be expecting, but she definitely doesn’t expect Kady to hand her a necklace.

Margo had left most of her things behind on Earth. Not exactly out of a conscious decision, but she hadn’t expected to stay very long in Fillory and then she was too distracted with quests and problems that she never went back for her clothes or jewelry or any sentimental knickknack she might have had. And sure, she had gone back to Earth a couple times and each time she did she found the time to sneak off to her room and take in all she’d left behind, contemplate taking something of importance with her, but she had long ago left the vanity and pride of the Brakebills student Margo Hanson and instead developed the vanity and pride of a Fillorian leader. Everything she’d left behind belonged to the person that she no longer was, and she didn’t really think about any of it anymore.

But the necklace that Kady hands her is different, and honestly Margo had almost forgotten that it even existed. It’s nothing fancy, just a locket; silver chained with two other chains one either side connecting from the locket to the clasp, and the locket itself was small and circular and inside held a picture of Margo and Eliot. It had been an anniversary gift from Eliot a year into their friendship.

Margo can’t stop smiling as she takes it from Kady and holds it in her hands.

“I, uh, saw it in your room when I was back in the real world, thought you might want to have it.” Kady explains.

“Kady I-” Margo looks up at her, tries to convey what this means to her with her eyes, wants to say thank you but doesn’t quite know how, so instead she says, “I have something for you too.”

And then she’s got Kady lightly by the wrist and dragging her toward her own room. Kady is expecting it to be more extravagant than it is, something that would suggest that the High King of Fillory slept there. Instead its simple, darkly decorated, covered in scrolls, and a place that is clearly not used for much other than sleeping.

Kady isn’t expecting to be handed a long box which Margo opens to reveal a sheathed sword.

“I had Fen make it for you.” Margo says, setting down the box as Kady takes the sword out. “I was going to wait until you had finished with Bingle, a sort of graduation present, you know? But now’s as good as any, a sort of thank you gift for giving me a thank you gift.”

Kady smiles, laughs lightly at Margo’s words, and strokes the blade carefully.

“It’s beautiful.” Kady says softly. She tests the weight, gives it a couple good swings. It’s cool polished steel with a black handle, and a wolf carved out of the pommel.

“You’re beautiful.” Margo says.

“So are you.” Kady looks at her, smiles softly, sheathes the sword and puts it down as she looks into Margo’s eyes. Then, stepping forward to be inches from her, “Thank you for the sword.”

Kady leans forward and kisses Margo on the cheek before stepping back with a smile, a wink, and starts to walk back out of the room.

“Stay, Kady? Have a drink with me?” Margo asks.

Kady turns, nods, “I think I’d like that.”


End file.
